Aston Villa transfer interest in Tammy Abraham comes with one major risk

Aston Villa are pursuing a January transfer for former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, according to reports.

Abraham spent the 2018-19 season on loan with Villa in the Championship, helping to fire Dean Smith’s team to promotion thanks to a historic run of ten wins and a big individual contribution.

The former Chelsea youngster is currently on loan from Roma to Beşiktaş in Istanbul but it’s been widely reported that Villa are pushing to sign a player Unai Emery has wanted at the club almost since he arrived.

Tammy Abraham would return as a beloved hero

Abraham scored 25 times in just 37 league matches in a Villa shirt, etching his name into the club’s modern history and the affections of Villa supporters.

The team that won promotion back to the Premier League by winning the Championship play-offs in 2018-19 hold a special place in the heart of many fans. With Smith at the helm and Jack Grealish wearing the captain’s armband, Villa beat Derby County in their second attempt at the Wembley showpiece.

Should a move for Abraham come to fruition this month, the 28-year-old Londoner would be reunited with Tyrone Mings and John McGinn, with whom he started the play-off final.

It’s been verified elsewhere since but Mike McGrath of The Telegraph broke the story on Saturday.

“[Abraham] is understood to be on Villa’s radar for the January transfer window to provide support and competition for England forward Ollie Watkins,” reported McGrath.

Villa moving for Abraham carries a risk

“Landing him again would be a complicated deal as Abraham is midway through a loan that will be made permanent for £11.2m if certain conditions are met.”

“He is thought to be on a salary worth around £115,000 per week which could also be an obstacle.”

There are therefore significant doubts around the deal itself with Abraham and both of his clubs, but his goalscoring record in Turkey this season is showing some signs of improvement after quieter seasons with Roma and AC Milan.

Abraham seems to fit the bill for Villa. He’s a proven talent whose best needs to be rediscovered, theoretically available for reasonable transfer fee and primed to be whittled back into his top form by a manager who improves every player fortunate enough to work with him.

There’s a big risk to go along with that promise, however. In the summer of 2023, Abraham suffered a cruciate ligament injury while at Roma and wasn’t able to return until the following April.

Players overcome knee injuries all the time – Villa’s current squad alone has players who’ve done so – but I’ve seen a few of Abraham’s Serie A matches since then and I’m not sure he’s quite the explosive forward he was in England and in his first season in Rome.

That’s a small sample size and it certainly doesn’t mean he couldn’t return to Villa and start banging in the goals in the Premier League. There’d be a certain poetry to it if he did and we know Emery has a good ear for that stuff.

But if Emery and Roberto Olabe are indeed eager to bring Abraham back to Villa, due diligence is required in this case even more than most.

The post Aston Villa transfer interest in Tammy Abraham comes with one major risk appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.